Destruction of the tropical rainforest is a leading cause of climate change. Forests are vital to mitigating climate change because they absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide. The rainforest is the Earth's largest reservoir of carbon dioxide, absorbing around 20% of the atmospheric carbon emitted by the burning of fossil fuels. The rainforest is also the source of one-fifth of all fresh water on the planet. Websites (e.g., Amazon Watch®) provide extensive information on the rainforest's critical role in fighting climate change. See, e.g., http://amazonwatch.org/work/climate-change-and-the-amazon-rainforest.
Deforestation of the tropical rainforest is also contributing to mass extinctions at an alarming rate. According to the United Nations Environment Program, illegal logging is a $30 Billion dollar per year black market economy.
Although many rainforests are formally protected as natural resources, illegal logging activity remains the leading cause of deforestation, and accounts for as much as 15-30 percent of all wood that is traded globally. Illegal logging is able to proceed unabated, because of the corruption and consent of local government officials responsible for protecting these forests. Many local government officials accept bribes that allow illegal loggers to obtain logging permits, avoid detection and export protected lumber. Because of the lack of local oversight, the expansive area covered by the rainforests, and the remote locations, there is a need for a method and/or device that will allow remote detection of illegal logging and other activities in the rainforest in real-time. Illegal logging is just one example of the types of problems that can be solved by a real-time data transmitting system that is powered through alternative energy sources.
Transmitting data, and more specifically real-time audio, from remote areas such as the rainforest, mountains, or the desert, requires unconventional energy sources, because it is not feasible to continually change the power source, such as a battery, in the data transmitter. There is therefore a need for a renewable self-powering energy source, such as a solar panel.
Conventional solar panel configurations, however, operate effectively only when very specific conditions are met. For acceptable performance, one requirement of conventional solar panel configurations is that they be exposed to unobstructed direct sunlight. Shadows on all, or part, of conventional solar panel configurations generate weak performance and render them ineffective at generating energy. For example, conventional solar panel configurations unable to generate significant energy when the panel is placed under a tree, because the tree branche(s) and leaves cast shadows on all or part of the panel. Even a nearby flagpole casting a shadow over a conventional solar panel can inhibit energy production. Therefore, conventional solar panel configurations are most effective with full, unimpeded illumination, in which every solar cell within the panel receives direct sunlight.
The cells in conventional solar panels are typically not connected in parallel, because connecting the cells in parallel yields lower output voltages that are generally inefficient to transform into conventionally utilized voltages. A string of cells that are connected in parallel which receives incomplete illumination due to shadows can cause substantial power loss and even damage, due to the reverse bias applied to the shadowed cells by their illuminated partners. Thus, the cells in a conventional solar panel are typically connected in series. Nevertheless, even when cells are connected in series, a cell that is covered in a partial shadow will not generate energy effectively
Remote real-time data transmission also requires infrastructure, such as a network, over which data can be reliably transmitted. Rainforests, mountains, and the desert often are not linked into traditional networks, such as telephone networks or the internet, which typically are built around more populated and less remote areas. There is therefore also a need for a reliable way in which to transmit data from remote areas by adapting available infrastructure.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved system and method for remote data transmission, in an effort to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and deficiencies of using conventional data transmitters, renewable energy sources and existing infrastructure.
It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.